


How to Demolish a Queen Bee's Regime

by bugeyedtramp



Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Gen, Mean girls Au, Modern Era, hester/anadil angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-05-30 00:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15084881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugeyedtramp/pseuds/bugeyedtramp
Summary: When Nicola attends high school for the first time, she quickly gets lured in by the Coven: Dot, the cute airhead; Sophie; who knows everything about everyone; and malicious queen bee Hester. But her other friends’ plan to enact their revenge on the popular girls quickly turns the school’s social hierarchy upside down. // an SGE Mean Girls AU





	1. Surviving the Endless Woods, a.k.a. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Homeschooled?”  
> She nodded.  
> The girl smirked. "Figured. You know, contrary to what most high school movies tell you, there’s no shame in sitting alone at lunch your first day.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Anadil.”  
> "Nicola."

Nicola had seen enough high school movies to know every student has one ultimate rock-bottom moment. One instance when everyone is turned against you, you’ve become a pariah, and spending your lunch eating stale potato chips in the poetry section of the library is your only option.

She just had no idea it would be so _soon_.

Her bag of Lays was almost empty and the period almost over when she heard a voice above her.

“You’re new here, right?”

She looked up. A pair of hooded red eyes were staring at her over a Robert Frost collection.

“Yeah, I just moved here from Gavaldon.”

The girl put the book back on the shelf and turned to face her. If it weren’t for her all-black attire and baggy sweatshirt, she might have been one of the prettiest girls in the school. Under her dark hoodie was elbow-length, silky white hair, and she was just as pale to match. She looked at Nicola curiously.

“Homeschooled?”

She nodded.

The girl smirked. “Figured. You know, contrary to what most high school movies tell you, there’s no shame in sitting alone at lunch your first day.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Anadil.”

“Nicola.” She shook the girl’s hand vigorously.

“I’m gonna call you Nic. D’you want to sit with me and Bogden tomorrow?”

Nicola spluttered. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your-“

“No worries. It’ll just be until you find your clan.”

Anadil watched as she mulled it over. _Might as well,_ Nic thought. _My options for friends are severely lacking, and she seems nice enough..._

She scrunched up her face quizzically. “Um, who’s Bogden?”

“Oh, he’s my best friend- You’ll like him, I can tell. He's almost too gay to function.” Anadil picked a new book off the shelf and headed for the main desk.

“So, tomorrow for lunch?”

“Definitely!” Nic called back, grinning.

* * *

Anadil was right, she did like Bogden. It was almost impossible to like someone who was this friendly.

“So, have you given her the rundown?” Anadil asked as she plunked her lunch tray onto their table.

He shook his head. “Not yet. I figured you’d want to.”

“What rundown?” Nic asked.

The two turned to her conspiratorially. “If you want to fit in, you’re gonna have to know the different cliques at this school,” Anadil said. “Each one has their own table and their own social standing. Whichever group you pick will determine your popularity for the rest of high school.”

Nicola winced. _Seems a little brutal,_ she thought. “And you guys are okay with this?”

They both shrugged. “It’s the way of the world,” Bogden sighed. “And no one’s got the guts to change it.”

For the rest of lunch, Anadil and Bogden walked her through every social group of “The Endless Woods”— their nickname for the massive student body that was The School for Evil. The whole period was a total blur as she struggled to remember every detail about her new peers.

Varsity and J.V. jocks, comprised of bulky guys with over-styled hair, were gorgeous but total airheads (Bogden’s words).

Some group called the “sexually active band geeks,” all paired off at a table near them, made Nicola grimace and thank god she didn’t pick instrumental as her junior year elective.

The two rattled off several other cliques- the debate team, the theater kids, the burnouts- but none of them interested her. The only group she _actually_ liked, “the Mathletes,” was apparently strictly forbidden.

“You can’t join them,” Anadil warned. “It’s social suicide.”

Nic looked longingly over at the clan, a group of three on the outskirts of the cafeteria. Their table was littered with graph paper, pencils, and calculators, and the three boys sitting there were arguing animatedly about the newest episode of a sci-fi tv show.

“...fine,” She sighed.

Both teens looked relieved. Bogden patted her shoulder sympathetically. “It’s for your own good.”

Nicola frowned.

“So?” Anadil looked at her expectantly. “What do you think?”

But she _couldn’t_ think. Her head was spinning from all the new information, and the smell of the school lunch wasn’t helping either. Nicola squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. “...Is it alright if I just...keep sitting here with you guys?”

She opened her eyes to see them smiling at her excitedly.

“Of course, Nic.”

Bogden winked. “I was hoping you would say that.”

Faintly, from the other side of the cafeteria, Nicola heard the click of high heels. And her new friends did too— both their expressions darkened.

Anadil turned to him, suddenly guarded and suspicious. “You missed a group.”

“Did I?” Bogden feigned innocence, picking at his sandwich nervously.

The girl’s voice dropped to an angry whisper. “She needs to know. Straight up.”

“Why? She wouldn’t be able to join anyways,” he murmured.

Anadil gave her a once-over, then turned back to Bogden. “Crazier things have happened.”

Nicola shifted in her seat anxiously as the footsteps grew louder. The other students seemed to sense a change, too, as their conversations slowly petered out. “...Who are you guys talking about?”

Bogden turned to her, his bubbly exterior gone. “The Coven.”

The entire student body turned and watched as the cafeteria doors opened.


	2. A Really Huge Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I’m Nicola, I’m new. I just moved here from Gavaldon.”  
> Sophie lit up. “Really? I’m from Gavaldon too!” She leaned over the table and smiled at her. “That is so fetch!”  
> “What is fetch?” Hester snapped.  
> “Oh, it’s like slang,” She stammered under her friend’s glare. “From...Woods Beyond.”

“Who are the Coven?”

Bogden turned around to face her, pointing at the three girls sashaying into the cafeteria as if it was a runway. “They’re the most popular girls in school. They make sure the yearbook comes out on time, the school dances are nice-“

“-and all they ask for in return is your unquestioning, groveling loyalty,” Anadil finished for him.

“See that chubby one there? That’s Dot of Nottingham. Probably one of the dumbest girls you’ll ever meet.”

“She thinks she’s like a high school princess just ‘cause her dad’s a rich scumbag. It’s pretty sad.”

Dot didn’t  _ look _ sad. She looked blissfully ignorant, grinning and waving at the boys who had swiveled around to catch a glimpse of the group. Nicola looked over and saw Anadil gazing at the girl, her expression a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.

Bogden tapped her shoulder, bringing her attention back to the spectacle before them. “And that little blonde one?”

Nicola followed his pointed finger to see a girl even more dressed up than Dot, teetering along in hot pink high heels and tapping on her phone.

“Yeah?”

“That’s Sophie of Woods Beyond. We used to be friends before she was recruited into the Coven, since we both love fashion. But now she’s their resident secret-keeper.”

“She knows everything about everyone; a treasure trove of gossip and rumors,” Anadil added indignantly. “That’s why her hair’s so big. It’s full of secrets.”

_ “She’s _ from Gavaldon?” Nicola whispered, trying to place this girl in her memories. What had happened to her at this school that twisted her into a voyeuristic lackey?

“I can’t even  _ imagine _ the kind of dirt she has on Hester,” Bogden said. “Must be life-changing stuff.”

“Every student has skeletons in their closet,” Anadil joked. “So  _ that _ demon must have a graveyard full of ‘em.”

“Who?”

The pale girl jerked her thumb back over to the group. “The girl in the middle. Hester of Ravenswood.”

The ‘demon’ in question was undoubtedly the group’s leader. Nicola had seen enough teen movies to know that the moment she laid eyes on her. The girl radiated power, from the way she sauntered over to the Coven’s table (in the center of the cafeteria, making every other clique look like planets orbiting around the sun) to her pristine appearance. Her hair was a glossy jet black that fell in waves, the ends of them dyed red. She was dressed head-to-toe in red and black, actually— Anadil and Bogden’s demon remark wasn’t all that far off. The most terrifying part of her ensemble was inked onto her skin: a horned beast that curved around the girl’s neck and across her collarbone.

“That one’s the only girl you really need to watch out for,” Bogden cautioned. “Sophie and Dot? They’re mostly harmless. But Hester will cut you deep.”

Anadil nodded in solemn agreement.

As the queen bee sat at her lunch table, re-applying black lipstick, Nicola studied her. She knew Bogden and Anadil were right about her being dangerous (hell, the girl probably prided herself on it), but she couldn’t deny the magnetic pull she felt to her. Nic longed to be a part of the Coven, as much as she hated to admit it.

* * *

“Hey, new girl!”

Nicola looked up from throwing out her lunch to see a table of burly, leering boys.  _ Varsity Jocks, _ Bogden had warned.

The one who had spoken, who she would later learn was Rhian of Foxwood, stood up and smirked at her.

“Wanna see a magic trick?”

Nic just stared back at him.

“I can guess any girl’s bra size,” he boasted. His friends snickered and glanced back at her.

_ I can deal with immature comments, _ she reassured herself, even as her face grew hotter and hotter.

“...Is that so?”

“Yeah,” the jock sneered. “All you gotta do is jump one time.”

Now his clique burst into raucous laughter. She could feel the entire student body’s eyes on her, waiting for a response.

Across the cafeteria, Nic saw Anadil stand up, ready to punch his lights out.

The pale girl took a step forward, and then-

“Is he bothering you?” a clear, commanding voice rang out. Everyone’s heads swiveled to the speaker, and Nicola nearly dropped her lunch tray in surprise.

Hester of Ravenswood was looking right at her, waiting for a response.

She nodded, dumbstruck.

The girl stood up and glared at him. “Rhian, why are you such a  _ creep?” _

The boy in question turned red. “C’mon, Hes. I was only joking.”

She scoffed. “You do not come to a party at my house with Sophie and then three days later hit on some poor, innocent girl right in front of us- she’s  _ not interested.”  _ Hester turned to Nicola again, with laser-focus. “Do you want to hook up with him?”

She barely had time to stutter out a response before the other girl turned back to annihilate him. “No, thank you.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.” Hester examined her nails, not even sparing the boy a glance.

Rhian turned to leave, gesturing for his friends to do the same. “Bitch,” he sneered under his breath.

Hester looked up at him as he stalked out of the cafeteria. Nic thought she saw pure rage dancing behind her eyes. 

“No one thinks you’re funny, and your teeth look like corn. Also, this thing you’re doing to try and get Sophie to pay attention to you is just  _ pathetic. _ Every junior girl you’ve harassed is very aware it’s all an act to see if she’ll look up from her phone long enough to check out your shrimpy physique. Just set off the fire alarm instead- it’ll work a lot faster.”

The boy stiffened, turning around in horror to see the whole grade giggling and snorting at his expense. Sitting at the center of it all was Hester, who tossed her hair triumphantly and went back to her lunch.

Anadil and Bogden were gaping. The two girls next to Hester were nodding appreciatively at her comeback. And Nic was speechless.

_ What _ had just happened?

* * *

“Wow, you’re really going to get noticed around here.”

Nicola snapped out of her thoughts to see Hester’s gaze was on her again-- and she was gesturing for her to sit down at their table.

“Wait...Do we know you?” Dot asked, always the last one to get wind of what was going on.

“No, actually- I’m Nicola, I’m new. I just moved here from Gavaldon.”

Sophie lit up. “Really? I’m from Gavaldon too!” She leaned over the table and smiled at her. “That is so fetch!”

“What is  _ fetch?”  _ Hester snapped.

“Oh, it’s like slang,” She stammered under her friend’s glare. “From...Woods Beyond.”

An awkward pause followed where Sophie avoided looking at Hester, Nic tried not to look anywhere in particular, and Dot was more interested in a fly on the edge of her lunch tray.

“So where did you go to school before this?” Sophie said, trying to move past her social blunder.

“I’ve actually never been to a real school before. My mom homeschooled me.”

Dot gasped. “Shut. Up.”

“That’s so  _ interesting _ that you’ve never been to high school,” Hester simpered. “It must be really hard for you to adjust.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Nicola said nervously. “But I’ve been talking to-“

“-We should help you.”

Hester’s lackeys turned to her slowly, confused. 

“Do you mean-?”

“Nicola, was it?” The queen bee asked. “Can you give us some privacy for like one second?”

“Uh, sure.”

As the three girls whispered amongst each other, Nic craned her neck over the cafeteria to spot Anadil and Bogden staring at her. They both raised their eyebrows as if to say,  _ Um, what are you doing talking to the Coven and how did you not listen to our advice at all? _

Hester snapped her fingers under Nicola’s nose. “Hey. You should know that we never really do this, so what we’re about to ask you is like a really huge deal.”

Sophie grinned. “We’re inviting you to have lunch with us for the rest of the week!”

Nic’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“Just until you get settled into your new school,” Dot said.

“Oh, no, it’s okay- My friends Bogden and Anadil were-“

Hester cut her off with a smirk. “So we’ll see you tomorrow then.” Her gaze flicked down to Nic’s ratty converse. “Wear something a little nicer, okay?”

She nodded mutely.

As the bell rang for the end of sixth period, the Coven stood up in unison and walked out of the cafeteria. Nicola was left speechless and frozen in place until Bogden pinched her arm worryingly.

“Are you...broken?”

Nic blinked slowly. “I can’t sit with you guys at lunch tomorrow.”

“Wait,  _ what? _ She asked you to sit with them at lunch?” Anadil sneered. “That little soul-sucker.”

“No, wait!” Bogden said, turning to her excitedly. “D’you think you could spy on them for us? Just spending time with them, then telling us all the stupid airheaded things they say,” he reassured her.

“Isn’t that a mean thing to do?”

He shook his head. “It’s totally harmless-- just a little teasing. Nothing destructive or vengeful, we promise.”

She eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Anadil smirked. “Bogden, you are a  _ genius.” _

As the two ushered her out of the cafeteria, Nicola tried to process what had just happened. In the span of forty-five minutes, she had been given a crash course in the social hierarchy of The School for Evil, been harassed and humiliated in front of the whole cafeteria, and been recruited into the most exclusive popular-girl clique since the Heathers.

_ Oh, well, _ she reminded herself as she ran to get to her next class on time,  _ at least nothing crazy will happen in AP Calculus. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully everyone is pretty in-character! so far my favorite character to write is Dot/Karen, she's such a dumbass sgdghsjd


	3. An Ode to AP Calc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And are you trying to make us all look dumb?” He smirked.  
> “I’m not trying to, it’s just happening.”

In spite of the Coven’s utter disdain for the class, Nicola actually  _ liked _ AP Calculus. Hester said striving for good grades would cut into her social life (although she got honors in every subject- not that anyone knew that), Sophie blindly agreed with anything Hester said, and Dot didn’t have the grades to take advanced placement  _ anything _ .

But Nic loved math. She liked how everything could be thought of as a puzzle. A puzzle she could actually solve- not like her real life. Being with the Coven was confusing at times; the rules she had to follow were complicated and often changing based on the queen bee’s mood.

She could only wear leggings or sweatpants on Fridays. She could only wear her hair in a ponytail once a week. And above all, she could not date guys that any of the other girls— Sophie, Dot and  _ especially _ Hester —had already dated.

AP Calc was just what she needed: a safe haven from the Coven, if only for forty-five minutes.

* * *

“Just so you know, the score you get in your diagnostic test does not count as a grade. This is just to predict how well you’re going to understand this material, and if any of you will need extra help.” Nic’s teacher, an angular, intimidating woman named Ms. Lesso, surveyed her class as she handed out papers. For every diagnostic she handed back, she commented on the student’s grade. This was a demanding and fast-paced class— nothing like Nicola’s dad teaching her Algebra in their cozy kitchen.

“Nicola of Woods Beyond.”

She glanced up to see Ms. Lesso looking at her expectantly and holding out her test paper. In the top right corner was a bright red ‘89.’

Her teacher smiled. “ _ Very _ good for a first try.”

Nicola grinned, taking the paper and staring at it. For a long time she had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that she was only good at math because of being homeschooled; having more time to work on practice problems seemed like cheating. But this test grade-

“89, huh? Guess I better step my game up.”

Nic barely had time to look at the speaker before her heart leapt into her throat.

The boy smiling at her had short, dark hair, a heart-shaped face, and the dreamiest eyes she had ever seen. She hoped she wasn’t staring too much.

“I’m Hort.”

“Nicola. Woods Beyond.”

He grinned wider. “Oh, you’re a Reader! Did you just move here?”

“Yeah, I was homeschooled.”  _ Am I sweating? I feel like I’m sweating. _ Nic’s heart was racing and she could see Ms. Lesso writing on the board behind Hort’s head. Something about limits? She couldn’t be bothered to pay attention.

“And are you  _ trying _ to make us all look dumb?” He smirked.

“I’m not trying to, it’s just happening.” The snarky retort was out before she could think it through, and her hands clapped over her mouth in vain. Hort, thankfully, started laughing.

“Got it. I’ll try harder next time.” He turned back in his seat right before Ms. Lesso could spot him talking in class. Nicola breathed a sigh of relief, feeling flushed and giddy with excitement.

For the rest of AP Calculus, she stared at the back of his head and pretended to take down notes. Not that Nic didn’t like the class or anything, it was just that it became hard to focus when she thought about Hort. And when she thought about sitting behind him every day. And talking to him. And maybe even going to Homecoming with him...

* * *

 

Nic almost jumped out of her skin when Hester accosted her after class. Sophie and Dot hovered behind her.

“Get your stuff out of your locker-- we’re going shopping.”

“But we still have one period left.”

The Coven looked at her like she had started speaking Troll.

“So...?”

“I can’t skip class, you guys,” Nicola protested, turning red. “I have Health next.”

Hester stared her down.  _ “This-“ _ she gestured at her clothing “-is way more important. You need a new look.”

Yeah, some of your shirts make me  _ sad,” _ added Sophie.

“Plus, health class is a snooze. Coach Castor doesn’t teach you anything, he just reiterates his one talking point: ‘DON’T HAVE SEX, OR YOU WILL GET PREGNANT-- AND DIE,” Dot giggled.

The three girls waited expectantly for Nic’s assent.

“...fine.” She tried not to grimace as they cheered.

“Bye, Reader!”

Nicola’s head whipped around in surprise to see Hort waving at her as he left AP Calc. She blushed and waved back, but the smile was wiped off his face as soon as he saw who she was standing with. He suddenly seemed awkward and tense.

“...Hester.”

“Hort.” The girl seemed to look right through him, more bored with the interaction than malicious.

He fiddled with his backpack straps as he looked back and forth between Nicola and Hester. Finally, Hort turned and briskly walked down the hallway without looking back.

“Do you know him?”

“Barely,” Nic stammered. “He introduced himself during math.”

“Hmm.” Hester shrugged and started walking out of the school building, leaving the rest of them running to catch up.

“What was  _ that _ all about?” she whispered to Sophie.

“That’s Hester’s ex-boyfriend. He just broke up with her last summer,” the blonde explained.

“Wait, I thought  _ she _ dumped  _ him _ for Kei of Foxwood.”

_ “No,  _ Dot, he broke it off  _ because _ of her and Kei.” Sophie rolled her eyes. Then she turned back to Nicola with laser-focus. She could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Why?”

“Um-“

“Do you  _ like _ him?”

Her embarrassed silence was the exact answer Sophie was looking for. “Oh, no, dearie,” Dot lamented, patting Nic’s shoulder. “Well, at least now you know he’s totally off-limits. No use talking to him anymore.”

“If you three don’t pick up the pace, I’m leaving you all stranded in the parking lot.” Hester stood at the end of the hall, holding the door open angrily.

Nic hurried after her and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach.


	4. The Ever-Never Burn Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She seems cool. Honestly, I don’t get why you hate her so much.”  
> “What? Hester is not cool, she’s a disgusting, demonic witch,” Anadil sneered. “She is dangerous, Nic. She’ll ruin your life. Just like she ruined mine.”

“I know your secret.”

Nicola’s eyes bulged in fear. Hester looked nonchalant as she opened the door to her house, but there was a certain way she held herself that could make her seem a thousand feet tall.

_She knows about me spying on her. Oh, God, just deny everything. Or own up to it and hope she doesn’t crush you under her heels._

“Huh?” Nic squeaked.

Hester opened the door a little further, showing her lackeys hovering by her shoulder. “Sophie told me you like Hort.”

“What the hell, Sophie?!”

The blonde shrugged as if to say, _She would have found out eventually._

“You can be mad if you want,” the queen bee stage-whispered. “It was a really shady thing to do.”

Nic just shrugged. “It’s fine.” Sophie was right, anyways. The Coven knows all.

Hester turned to her as the four of them walked through the house’s grand foyer. “I could talk to him for you, if you want.”

“Really? You would do that?” She couldn’t believe her luck. “Um- nothing embarrassing, right?”

“Of course!” The two of them laughed as they climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Nicola watched the girl’s face break out into a smile, and momentarily forgot about the spying, the boy, the social hierarchy... everything. For a second, she felt like they were truly friends.

But she couldn’t get the warning out of her head. The one Anadil had given her: both on her first day, and when she met up with her after the Coven’s trip to the mall.

_“Hester will cut you deep.”_

* * *

_Weighed down with shopping bags from high-end stores she had never heard of, she met up with her friend after the others went home._

_“So. Your first week with the Coven. How’s it feel?”_

_She sighed. “Intense. Complicated. There are_ so _many rules, I don’t know how I’m supposed to remember them all.”_

_“Well, if you get thrown out for wearing sweatpants on the wrong day, you can always come back and sit with me and Bogden.” Anadil grinned._

_“Thanks,” Nicola chuckled. Then her face lit up. “Hey, do you know someone named Hort?”_

_“Of course I do. Hort and I are both from Bloodbrook, so we’ve known each other since before we could walk. He’s basically my cousin.”_

_“Hmm.” Nic avoided her gaze, trying not to smile. “Well, I met him in AP Calculus this afternoon. He sits in front of me.”_

_“You like him, don’t you?”_

_“Wha-How did you_ know?” _She turned red._

 _Anadil smirked. “Every girl in our school does. Except for me. And, well- I guess Hester counts, even though she_ dated _him.”_

_“Yeah, she doesn’t seem to care about him much,” Nic commented._

_“Because she treats him like an accessory rather than a real boyfriend.” The pale girl swore under her breath in quiet disgust._

_“But-“ Nicola hesitated. “...Other than that, she seems cool. Honestly, I don’t get why you hate her so much.”_

“What? _Hester is not cool, she’s a disgusting, demonic_ witch,” _Anadil sneered. “She is dangerous, Nic. She’ll ruin your life. Just like she ruined mine.”_

_“Wait, what?”_

_The girl waved off her question. “Never mind. I gotta go, anyways.” She picked up her backpack and eyed Nicola strangely. “Just...be careful with her. I told you, she’ll cut you deep.”_

_Anadil turned on her heel and walked out of the mall, leaving a grim warning in her wake._

* * *

Nic was still thinking all of this over once they got to Hester’s grand bedroom. The other three girls immediately made themselves comfortable, kicking off their heels and roaming around the room. Sophie stayed close to her leader, tittering over new clothes or makeup products she had picked up over the weekend.

Dot motioned for Nicola to sit next to her on the edge of the bed.

“So, how do you like hanging out with us?”

Nic smiled. “It’s been fun. Different, I guess.” She pursed her lips and tried something out. “Hey, do you know this girl named Anadil? She’s in a couple of my classes.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hester’s back tense from across the room.

“You know Ani? Aww, we were best friends in middle school- the three of us.”

“You, her and Sophie?”

“No, Hester!” Dot chirped. “We were super close before Sophie moved here. Then Hes and Ani had a falling out and now it’s us three.”

“What happened?” Nicola knew she was pushing her luck, seeing how the two other girls were clearly eavesdropping in on their conversation, but she needed to know. What made Hester ruin Anadil’s life?

“Oh, I don’t know. Neither of them told me. Most people don’t tell me things because they think I’m dumb.” Dot shrugged.

“Yeah, um... I just wondered what happened, because she told me-“

The queen bee turned to face Nicola, her eyes blazing. But before she could get an accusatory word out, another figure burst into the room carrying a hardcover book. She was dressed smartly for her age, in an electric blue pantsuit with a glittering butterfly brooch, and her chestnut hair was in the “rich suburban mom” style that Nic had seen constantly since moving here.

“Hey, girls! Sweetie, did you come in the back entrance today? I didn’t even hear you guys!”

“Maybe that was on _purpose,”_ Hester murmured, still simmering with anger.

Sophie tried to steer the conversation back to normalcy. “Ms. Sader, this is Nicola of Woods Beyond. She’s a new student, so we’ve been showing her around.”

The woman nodded, barely registering her words as anything other than white noise. Nic figured that was pretty common.

“That’s nice, dear. Oh, Hester? I was organizing your closet for you this morning and guess what I found?”

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. “I told you not to go snooping in my room anymore.”

“I wasn’t _snooping,_ honey, I was _organizing._ And I found... your Burn Book!” She presented it with a flourish.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot about this!” Sophie took the book out of her hands and started flipping through the pages. “Check it out, Nic. This was pretty much all we did last year: we cut out our classmate’s pictures from the yearbook, and then we wrote comments.”

Dot pointed to a green-skinned girl with an unfortunate unibrow. “ _‘Mona of Oz is a grotsky little byotch.’”_ The three of them cackled at the dig, but Nic bit her tongue. She didn’t even _know_ Mona.

 _“‘Ravan of Thicket Tumble: RIP, another Mathlete committed social suicide.’”_ Hester snorted.

“Aww, I remember Ravan!” Evelyn Sader interrupted. “Honey, remember when you were his date to the No Ball in middle school?”

Sophie and Dot laughed nervously and looked to their leader to see how she was going to react. Hester stiffened, the veins in her neck pulsing and making her tattoo twitch in anger.

“Evelyn?”

“Yes, dear?” Ms. Sader looked up expectantly.

“Get out.”

She smiled tightly. “Of course, sweetie. And if you girls need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Flipping her hair, she turned to Nicola and winked. “There are _no_ rules in this house. I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a _cool mom._ Right, Hester?”

_“EV!”_

“Right, right.” She hurried out of the room as quickly as she came in.

Nic cleared her throat. “...You call your mom ‘Evelyn’?”

Hester scoffed. “She is _not_ my mother. My dad married her after my mom passed away.” There was the tiniest flicker of remorse in her dark eyes. “My real mom was a domineering, crafty witch. But after the PR scandal after her death coupled with Hansel and Gretel’s story, Dad wanted a trophy wife. Someone who wouldn’t cause problems.”

Before Nicola could say anything, Dot waved them over to look at the Burn Book. She and Sophie were flipping through the pages and giggling.

“Hes, come look at this- _‘Rhian of Foxwood, the most pathetic junior you’ll ever meet.’”_ Nic smiled and laughed, remembering how Hester chewed him out to save her.

Dot leaned over to read the next page. They had cut out a yearbook photo of an acne-prone, smarmy boy, and he somehow had convinced the photographer to let him keep his hood up in the picture.

_“Aric of Bloodbrook is a greasy weed dealer.’”_

“Still true. Well, still _half_ true,” Sophie piped up. Hester let out another chuckle.

They flipped to the next spread, and Nicola’s breath caught in her throat. The girls had cut out a photo of her two real friends and pasted it into their Burn Book.

_“‘Anadil of Bloodbrook: dyke.’”_

Sophie giggled quietly, but a beat of tense silence passed between the three other girls. Hester furrowed her eyebrows as if trying to convince herself of an old story.

“Wait, who’s that?” Dot pointed to the other figure in the picture.

Nic sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s Bogden of Woods Beyond, he’s in a few of my classes.” She chuckled halfheartedly and tried to lighten the mood. “He’s almost too gay to function.”

The Coven burst into a cacophony of laughter.

“That’s _good!”_

“Put that in there.” Hester smirked, handing her a marker.

“Oh... I shouldn’t, he’s-“

“Don’t worry, Nicola. We only write things about random people in here, not our friends. Friends are _very_ important to us. Everyone in here is something we don’t even _care_ about. You know?”

“She _GETS_ it, Soph. God, not everyone is as dense as you are.” Hester stood up and stalked over to her bathroom. “Dot, come with me. I want to change your eyebrows.”

“I’ll still have two, right?”

The girl rolled her eyes. Both Dot and Sophie scurried over to the door, but she blocked the latter with an ice-cold stare. _“Just_ Dot.”

“...Got it.”

Nic flinched as the bathroom door slammed shut in Sophie’s face. The blonde still faced the door, even after a beat of silence, as if she wasn’t sure if her leader was serious or not.

“Is everything okay?”

Sophie slowly turned around. Her smile twitched as if it was carefully orchestrated.

“I’m fine.” She came to sit by Nicola, fidgeting with the edge of her skirt.

“It’s just... sometimes I wonder if she even _likes_ me.”

Nic’s eyes widened. Sophie never let her perfect, peppy composure slip. “Uh, what do you mean?”

“Well, when I was in eighth grade, there was this big fight between me and my half-sister over us growing apart. I kind of went berserk. I was convinced she didn’t actually like me, like she was only pretending to be friends with me.” The blonde kept her eyes trained on the dark red carpet.

“What happened?”

“My mom pulled me out of school and had me enroll here. That’s when I met Hester.”

She finally looked up, smiling hesitantly. “After a year of having to fend for myself, it was nice to have someone to follow around and obey. And it seemed like she really enjoyed having me around.” Her expression soured. “At first.”

“I get what you mean.”

Sophie grabbed Nicola’s hand feverishly. “You do?”

“Um-“

“So do you think Hester is really friends with me? Because sometimes I feel like it’s happening again, and I don’t know what to do. Is she going to stop hanging out with me? Are _you_ going to stop hanging out with me?”

Nic wrangled her arm out of her friend’s frantic grip. Sophie’s eyes were wide, and there were a few blonde strands coming out of her ponytail.

“Uh, I think I’m going to go. I’ll see you on Monday.” Nicola stood up and grabbed her backpack. “Tell Hester and Dot I said bye.”

The blonde looked down, picking at her nail polish. “Oh. Okay.”

She headed towards the door, itching to leave, when she heard Sophie’s voice.

“Wait.”

She turned around to see the girl holding out the Burn Book. It was open to the page of Anadil and Bogden.

“Aren’t you going to write in it?”

“... What?”

Sophie pointed to the blank space below the photo. “What you said about him. ‘Too gay to function?’”

Nic looked down at the pen, still in her hand, and considered her options. She could throw it down and storm out, and word would definitely get back to Hester about who’s side she was really on.

Maybe it was only okay when Anadil said it.

But was it even an insult? Bogden joked about it all the time.

And they _wanted_ her to keep spying on the Coven. Surely they knew she’d have to pretend to be a bitch to fit in.

Before she knew it, Nic was crossing the room and scribbling into the book. Her stomach twisted as she caught Sophie’s relieved smile. _This girl is really starved of friendship._

She couldn’t get out of that place fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was definitely the most fun to write so far, especially the little snippets of the Burn Book and Evelyn Sader as Regina's mom.  
> I'm also trying to push myself to write longer, more in-depth chapters, so around this word count (2k+) is what I'm aiming for with the rest of the chapters!


	5. Halloween Should be a National Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I need to talk to you.”  
> Hort had never been that lucky. But at this point he figured he was afflicted by some kind of warlock’s curse.  
> Or maybe a witch. Seemed more accurate.  
> He finally turned around, fixing a half-hearted smile on his face. “Hello, Hester.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first time writing from Hort's POV! The scene with Hester and Hort was so weird to write because they have no romantic chemistry in-canon, but hopefully it reads well

  _You have three new messages:_

  ** _Hort:_ ** _Hey, Nic! Just wanted to let you know I’m throwing a Halloween party next week and I wanted to invite you! Here’s the address:_

  ** _Hort_ ** _sent 1 location_

  ** _Dot:_ ** _NICOLA are u going to Hort’s party?? it’s gonna be amazing also Sophie thinks Hes is mad at her for wearing black lipstick when she KNOWS that’s Hester’s signature look so can you call her???? I’m running out of minutes on my cell phone [?][?][?][?] xoxoxo_

* * *

Of _course_ Nicola had heard of Halloween. Every year since she could remember, she and her old friends would go trick-or-treating in Gavaldon. And her parents would help her scourge the thrift stores in town to recreate a character’s costume from whatever book or movie she had been talking about incessantly.

But according to Anadil and Bogden, Halloween at The School for Evil was its own beast.

“No, you don’t understand, Nic. Halloween here is _insane._ A day themed around demons and ghouls and scaring people? These kids go all-out,” The two explained to her. “It’s in their blood.”

What they failed to tell her, however, was that for the Coven, the holiday meant dressing as risqué as they could without getting hypothermia.

So Nicola showed up to Hort’s party wearing full 19th century garb, only to find Sophie and Dot shivering on the porch in mini skirts and crop tops. The latter instantly smiled when she saw her, but her eyes widened when she saw Nic’s costume.

“What the hell is that?” Sophie shrieked, pointing to the object in the jar Nicola was holding.

“It’s a calcified heart. Well, it’s a fake one.”

The girls still looked petrified.

“I’m Mary Shelley.”

Nothing.

“She wrote Frankenstein?”

Dot gasped. _“Oh!_ Well, why didn’t you just go as Frankenstein?”

“Because it’s not _sexy_ enough,” Sophie answered for her. She looked Nic over, clearly not impressed. “Although this really isn’t either. Why didn’t you go as Frankenstein’s bride?”

Nicola couldn’t figure out how to respond. “Uh, I don’t know. What are you guys dressed as?”

Dot did a little twirl, the drink in her hand dangerously close to spilling. “I’m sexy Robin Hood.” The only thing that resembled the famous thief was her little pointed hat and red feather. The rest of her costume was just green clothes from her closet and a pair of high-heeled boots. Nicola soon realized this level of costume-making was standard for most girls at the party.

“And I’m a sexy witch,” Sophie said, adjusting her cape so it showed off her shoulders. She had just taken the old Nevergirl uniform, cut the sleeves off, and made the hemline shorter. “What do you think?”

“...Looks nice.”

The answer was good enough for Sophie, who was too busy preening to really pay attention. She opened the door and bolted inside to get out of the cold.

Dot looked up at Nicola nervously. “Did you get my text?”

“Yeah, I did. What was that about Hester and Sophie?”

“They’re fighting again,” she shrugged. “And by fighting, I mean Sophie freaking out because Hes didn’t respond to her texts, so then she starts messaging me incessantly. It’s been happening a lot recently.”

Both girls avoided looking at the other, knowing the reason was that Hester was too busy calling Nicola to reply to Sophie or Dot’s texts. The cold air was fraught with embarrassed tension.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you-“ Nic dug her phone out of her pocket. “What are these little question mark boxes you sent me? Do they mean something, or...?”

Dot gasped in horror. “You don’t have _emojis_ installed on your phone? Do they not _have_ those in Gavaldon?! Oh, you poor, neglected dear!”

Before Nicola could ask, the girl had already whipped out her phone and showed her the text message she had sent— instead of the four boxes that showed up on her screen, Dot’s phone tacked on little pictures to the end of her text.

“See? _Emojis._ Rolling-eyes, silly face, cell phone, and pumpkin.” She looked up at Nic with an overly serious expression. “Give me your phone, I’m installing them now.”

The two of them couldn’t help at laugh as they stepped inside the party. “There,” Dot said, handing back Nicola’s phone. “Now you’re not a Reader anymore.” She winked and darted into the mass of students dancing in Hort’s living room.

Before Nic could run in and join her, or even look for Hort, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, aren’t you that Woods Beyond girl?”

She turned around and was face to face with the very thing everyone had told her to stay far away from. A Mathlete.

He hadn’t bothered to dress up, although Nic wasn’t sure if he was even invited in the first place. His long, greasy hair, gangly limbs, and red eyes made her wonder how Hort knew him. Maybe from middle school? It seemed like everyone she had met was connected to each other through their middle school.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

The boy looked at her curiously. “Lady Lesso told me you’re one of the smartest kids in her class.”

 _Lady Lesso?_ “Yeah, I guess... I’m Nicola. And yes, I’m new here.”

He nodded, digging in his pants pockets for a tiny business card. Nic couldn’t help but laugh at the card’s message:

_Ravan of Thicket Tumble_

_Math Enthusiast / Badass M.C._

“If you need a club to join, the Mathletes  are always looking for new members. Plus, Lesso says we’d get _twice_ our funding if a girl signed up.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. “And it might be nice for Vex and Brone to actually, y’know, meet a girl.”

Nicola burst into giggles, remembering  that on her first day, she saw the eternally-geeky Mathletes table from across the cafeteria. The two other boys were both pale and acne-prone, and looked like they’d never seen a bottle of face wash, much less a human female. “You’re right, that _would_ be good for them.”

“So, keep us in mind,” he added, smiling genuinely back at her. “‘Cause we’d like to get jackets.”

“Ew, Nicola, why are you talking to such a _dweeb?”_ Hester asked, who had inexplicably walked up behind her without either of them noticing. “I thought I told you the Mathletes would stain your social life like nothing else will.”

Ravan frowned. “Uh, I can _hear_ you.”

“Can you hear this? _Get. Lost.”_ The girl waved at him condescendingly, mouthing _‘Bye’_ as she watched him turn and leave. “God, Nic, you are _so_ lucky you have me here to guide you.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She quickly hid his business card in the pocket of her dress. “I like your costume.”

Hester smirked. “Thanks.” She had chosen to go as a devil, seemingly to match her spine-chilling tattoo. Like Dot and Sophie, she didn’t put that much effort into her getup, choosing instead to sport a headband with red devil horns and carry around a pitchfork. She turned around to show Nicola the little forked tail she had taped to the back of her skirt— which was bright red and flared, with a line of black buttons going up the side. “I wear this almost every year. It’s like my signature now.”

“That’s... cool. Uh, have you seen Hort?”

The girl’s eyes lit up. “I _have!_ He’s over there talking to some boys he knows from Good.” She pulled Nic aside and whispered. “I think now’s the best time for us to put our plan to action.”

“Really?”

“Definitely,” Hester murmured. “You go over there now and say hi. Then _I’ll_ swoop in and seal the deal.”

Nicola grinned. “Thank you, Hester. I was worried you’d be upset that I like-“

“Of _course_ not! I think you guys would make a cute couple. Now, let’s make it happen.”

Nic nodded and ran over to say hi, now that she had the queen bee’s blessing. Hort was leaning on the kitchen counter and talking to a preppy blonde boy. When he saw her approaching, he broke out into a smile and walked over.

“I’m so glad you’re here! I had to spend the last 15 minutes talking to the most annoying Ever in the Woods.”

“An… Ever?”

His eyes widened. “Oh, right, you don’t know! Our rival school from across town, The School for Good, is like the total opposite of us. We call the kids ‘Evers,’ and they call us ‘Nevers.’” Hort laughed. “The only student there that’s not totally stuck up is Agatha, Sophie’s half-sister. She does a lot of math competitions.”

Nicola sighed. “Yeah, speaking of math… what did you get on Lesso’s last quiz?” Unbeknownst to Hester, she had a plan of her own: to fake a bad grade so that he would help her with AP Calc.

“Uh, I got an 80, why?”

“Well, I got…” _Think, Nic. Something to warrant his help._ “A 60.”

Hort frowned, not sure of what to say. They both looked down at their drinks.

“I think I need extra help,” she ventured, looking up after an awkward beat of silence.

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I could tutor you, if you want. Like after school or something?”

“That would be amazing!” Nicola giggled. “Thank you so much.”

As Hort rambled on excitedly about Calculus and other school events, Nic looked over his shoulder to see the demon herself, signaling to her that it was time to put the plan into action.

“-um, Hort? Sorry, but I think Dot’s calling me over, so I have to go.”

He blinked. “Oh. Yeah, sure.” He took another sip of his drink as Nicola slipped away to watch the plan unfold from afar. She was nervous to see his reaction, but couldn’t wait to hear his ‘yes’ from a member of the Coven. She need to see it.

And he would say yes, right? Of course he would. Why wouldn’t he?

Nic grabbed a cup from a shady-looking drinks table. Somehow she knew that this stage of the plan required drinking though whatever happens next.

* * *

“I need to talk to you.”

Hort had never been that lucky. But at this point he figured he was afflicted by some kind of warlock’s curse.

Or maybe a witch. Seemed more accurate. How did she manage to find him when he had been avoiding her at all costs?

He finally turned around, fixing a half hearted smile on his face. “Hello, Hester.”

She smirked. “Nice party.”

“I guess.”

“The guest list is dismal, though.” Her eyes darted around the room, each person flinching when she glanced at them. “I mean, seriously? Ravan? Aric? _Tedros?_ What happened to all your track and field buddies?”

He bristled. “They were busy. What do you want?”

“You know that girl Nicola? How she just _showed up_ here?” Hester scoffed, taking another sip of her drink and daring him to take the bait.

“She’s not crashing, I invited her.”

Something flitted across her face. Genuine surprise? Hurt?

She flipped her hair after a moment of thinking, instantly back in alpha-bitch mode. “No, yeah, I _know_. Just be careful with her, okay?”

Hort furrowed his brow. “What? Why?”

“I’m just trying to protect you.”

Why would Hester ever try and protect him? His head spun, partly from the drink he was holding, partly from the rush he felt even standing this close to her. He had forgotten how magnetic she was, even when-- _especially_ when he was trying to move on to someone else.

“I’m _saying,_ Don’t get too close to her if you don’t really mean it. ‘Cause she has a huge, and I mean _huge,_ crush on you.”

He knew it was a bad idea to divulge too much information to someone like her, who would store it away and use it for blackmail later. But he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

“...Really?”

“Ew. Don’t be gross. She’s my friend.” She scowled. “Plus, I don’t think either of us should be getting into a new relationship, what with the breakup being so fresh and everything.”

He groaned internally. “You can’t tell me what to do anymore, Hester.”

Suddenly, after his biting remark, her face changed from manipulative and malicious to something far different. Her shoulders sloped, her lips pouted, and her eyes filled with tears. Now people were looking at them and whispering about _him_ , not her. How did she _do_ that?

“Wow,” she said, choked up. “I didn’t think this would be _so_ hard for me.”

“What?” He spluttered. “What are you talking about?”

Hester sniffled. “Just- seeing you here, so openly going after some other poor, innocent girl, not even _acknowledging_ how _I_ might feel…”

Hort bit his lip, thinking. This was all getting to be too much. But the worst part was, he was starting to believe her. That flicker of real, honest feeling on her face from before… was she really that upset? And would she really stay with him if he took her back?

“Listen, Hes, I’m sorry for how it ended, I really am.” He patted her arm sympathetically, and the crowd murmured.

“Do you really mean that?”

He looked into her red-rimmed eyes. “Of course I am. But I think we both have to move on.”

Hester rested one perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder, the other over her heart as if she was guarding it. “I’m not sure if I agree, Hort. And I don’t think _you_ do, either.”

* * *

“So you’re _sure_ she wasn’t mad at me?” Sophie begged as the two of them walked out of the kitchen and down the hall.

“I’m absolutely sure. She didn’t even mention the black lipstick.” Nicola was barely paying to the blonde’s chatter, especially as it had gotten more fervent and high-pitched as they both continued drinking. “But I think Hort might be pissed at you when he finds out you barfed in his oven.”

“I… have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” Nic was on her phone (and decidedly not looking) when it happened, but she was sure she’d hear about it from Hort when she saw him in class on Monday.

And hopefully, if Hester had done her job right, that was when he would ask her out.

“Oh, _shit.”_

Nic was too busy daydreaming about her first real date to brace herself for the scene Sophie was referring to. And the alcohol didn’t help to process it, either.

Hester was kissing Hort.

In the middle of the living room. At a party where everyone could see. She had already heard the sounds of a few phones taking pictures.

Hester was kissing Hort. And he was kissing her back.

Nicola felt sick.

“I have to go,” she mumbled, leaning against the wall to stabilize herself and stop her head from spinning.

“Oh, I’m sorry, darling,” Sophie winced. “I should have never told her about you and him.”

“No- it’s not-” Nic fought back bile. “I have to _go_.” Saying it again felt more secure. This time, the blonde understood.

 

Once she was outside and sitting at the bus stop, the tears finally came. The only person she could think of to call was Anadil. She tried to curb her loud, hiccupping sobs as the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“She took him back,” she cried. “Hester took Hort back.”

“Oh, of course she did, she’s a soul-sucking, demon-spawned wench.”

She could hear Bogden offering his sympathies on the other end of the line. Nicola wiped her snot on her sleeve.

“But now you know, Nic. Hester of Ravenswood is _not_ your friend. _We’re_ your friends. And we’re gonna make her pay.”

She still couldn’t stop sniffling, her breath coming out jagged and shallow. “...What do you mean?”

Anadil’s smirk was almost visible, even through the phone. “Nicola, how do you feel about revenge?”


	6. Anadil's Master Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hester is a demon. Taking her down is what’s best for everyone.”  
> Nicola was gaping. “What happened between the two of you that made you this…”  
> “Evil?” Anadil sneered, picking up her backpack and heading for the door. “That’s none of your business. And don’t forget, you’re willingly doing this, too… you want her gone as much as anyone else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, this took me SO LONG to write! There are so many scenes and plot points to get through before Hester is taken down, hopefully I got all of them

“For the record, I think you’re enjoying this a little _too_ much.”

Anadil looked up from the poster board she was writing on, not even trying to hide her smirk. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re making a _presentation_ for this! I thought we were just going to take down the Coven and call it a day.”

“These things must be done delicately, Nicola,” Bogden said. He was rifling through the cabinets at Nic’s house, looking for a suitable snack for the three of them. “Hey, what about these?” He held up a package of granola bars.

“Those are HänselBars, they’re for weight gain. My brothers use them to move up a weight class in wrestling.”

Bogden recoiled as if the box had bit him. He stuffed it back in the drawer and picked up an apple instead.

“As I was saying, The School for Evil’s food chain is extremely fragile. We don’t want anarchy-“

“Who says we don’t want anarchy?” Anadil protested, miming horror.

“- we just want to ruin Hester’s life,” he finished, joining Nicola on the couch.

Nic frowned. “I guess.”

“Right.” Anadil stepped back, showing them what she had written on the poster. “I’ve devised a three-step approach. First, we need to eliminate the only achievement Hester has: being conventionally attractive. Once we do that, she’ll be more vulnerable, less powerful-“

“-less magnetic,” Nicola finished for her. _Maybe that could even break the spell she cast on Hort during the Halloween party,_ she thought.

The pale girl smirked. _“Exactly.”_ She put one finger to her lips, thinking. “What I haven’t figured out is how to do it.”

“What about switching out her face wash with like, foot cream or something? So she would break out,” Bogden offered.

Anadil shook her head. “Breakouts are temporary. We need something that’ll last for more than a week.”

Nic’s eyes widened. “What about weight gain?” Before either of them could answer, she darted over to the kitchen cabinets and pulled out the box of HänselBars, holding them over her head like a trophy.

Bogden laughed. “Oh, this is going to be _fun.”_

* * *

Hester frowned. “Didn’t these jeans look a little... _looser_ two weeks ago?” She pinched at the fabric around her legs, eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know, maybe.” Nic averted her eyes as she and Dot sat down at their lunch table.

“Nicola, all I’ve been eating are these HänselBars you gave me. They _suck.”_ She gestured to the three bars on her lunch tray, which was otherwise completely empty.

“Well...” she racked her brain for an explanation that would sound vaguely scientific. “They’ve have eaten up all your carbs, so now you’re just running on nutrients. The bloating is just your water weight.”

Hester raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.

“You’ll lose the pounds in a few weeks, just as long as you keep eating them. I promise.”

Nic was lying through her teeth to someone she once considered her friend. _But she did the same,_ she thought. _With Hort. You’re just...giving back what she dished out._

Sophie patted her leader on the shoulder. “You’ll look skinny and beautiful again for the No Ball, we’re sure of it.”

Hester batted her hand away as if she was a tiny blonde fly. “Knock it off, I’m fine. I know this will make me thinner.” The girl snickered under her breath. “If _anyone_ at this table should be worried about weight gain...”

Her dark eyes flitted up to Dot for the briefest of seconds, but everyone at the table still noticed. Nic winced and looked down at her lunch tray.

The girl in question gritted her teeth, fighting back the urge to cry. “I think I’m gonna get a salad.” Dot glanced up at Hester, who was too busy unwrapping a granola bar to notice— or she was _pointedly_ ignoring her, focusing instead on surveying her reign. The short girl abruptly stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

“What’s her problem?” the tattooed girl mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Sophie shrugged. “Who knows?”

* * *

“This isn’t _working.”_ Anadil cursed herself, scrolling through Hester’s Instagram profile a week later. Nic looked over her shoulder.

Although the girl was still self-conscious about the effects of the HänselBars, she was still posting pictures like it was any other day. And the comments weren’t doing anything to kick her off her throne.

“That’s a lot of peach emojis,” Bogden murmured. “Maybe I should start posting again, if this is what people like.”

Both girls groaned.

“Whatever,” Anadil said, tossing her phone onto Nicola’s bed. “She’s still eating the granola bars, so the weight gain will ramp up after a few weeks. I think we should move to phase two.” She pointed to the next step on the poster board, accompanied by two drawings of Sophie and Dot frowning.

“I’m not sure about this one, Ani,” Nic pleaded. “Those two are fragile. I don’t want them to get hurt.”

Bogden laughed out loud. “Fragile? Sophie is not _fragile_. If you knew even half the stuff she did at our old school-“

“She already told me. But the way she acts when Hester’s around?” Nicola paused, thinking back to when the four of them went to her house. The way Sophie was just barely keeping it together in front of her... and how she panicked when Nic even thought about leaving the Coven.

“I’m not sure she could handle that kind of rejection again.”

Anadil furrowed her brows. “I _know_ that, Nic, but we have to do this. You don’t understand how important this is to me.”

“You’re right. I _don’t_ understand. I don’t understand how you can want to ruin her life this badly.”

The pale girl’s hands balled into fists. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve some of the plan’s stress. “Hester is a _demon_. Taking her down is what’s best for everyone.”

Nicola was gaping. “What happened between the two of you that made you this...” She trailed off, watching her jaw steel in frustration.

 _“Evil?”_ Anadil sneered, picking up her backpack and heading for the door. “That’s none of your business. And don’t forget, you’re willingly doing this, too... you want her gone as much as anyone else.”

Bogden followed her out but paused in the hallway, turning and grasping Nic’s hand. “It’s really personal stuff— you understand.” He bit his lip. “Just think about what she said. About how this is for the good of _everyone_.”

Nicola watched the two of them leave, her head swimming with thoughts. Hester, Hort, Anadil, Sophie, Bogden... Dot...

She dialed Hester’s number and waited on her porch steps as it rang. For some reason, Nic wanted to hear the cruelty she had heard about straight from the queen bee’s mouth. The kind of words that justified what the three of them were planning to do to her.

She picked up on the second ring. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Hes. Um... what do you know about Anadil of Bloodbrook?”

Hester paused. “Why were you talking to _her?”_

“We have a group project together.” _Why was it so easy to lie to her?_

“Well, we used to be friends in middle school. That was the original group, you know- me, Dot, and Ani- Anadil.” Nic could hear Hester struggle to hide the girl’s old nickname.

“Dot told me you two got in a fight. What happened?”

“It wasn’t a fight. It was a total misunderstanding.” She laughed. “I told Anadil she couldn’t come to my 9th grade birthday party, because she’s a lesbian.”

Nicola’s eyes widened in horror. “What? Why would you _say_ that?”

Hester cleared her throat, and the other girl could almost hear the laugh in her voice. “Because- she _is!_ And it was a pool party, so girls were going to be in their bathing suits. You understand, right?”

“...I guess.”

“So anyway, Ani- _Anadil_ totally freaked out, and our moms called each other and screamed for an hour. Then she dropped out of school because everyone found out she was gay. This year’s her first time back here, did she not tell you that?”

Nic almost dropped her phone. It felt like her face was on fire. She gritted her teeth and forced the words out. “No. She didn’t.”

“Well, it is. That’s why she’s in like 3 periods with Ms. Sheeks- it’s _art therapy.”_

She could hear the door being opened and someone calling for Hester as she spoke. “Anyways, I gotta go. Date night. Hort’s gonna watch me get a manicure.”

“Great. See you on Monday.” Nicola balled her free hand into a fist, desperately wanting to punch her. Then her voice turned sickly sweet as she realized what she could do instead. “Keep eating those granola bars,” she simpered.

“M‘kay. Bye.” And then she hung up.

She had ruined her. And even if it wasn’t true, it had still destroyed Anadil’s life. Now Nicola understood why other girls in the halls stiffened as Ani walked by. And why she spent all her free periods holed up in the art room.

Nic watched as her screen faded to black, to match the fiery anger slowly seeping out of her and being replaced with pure, simmering hatred.

No, she wouldn’t fight Hester. She wouldn’t attack her. Not physically, at least. The three of them were going to demolish the Coven from the _inside_.

And if Sophie and Dot got hurt in the process, then so be it.

 _Sorry about what I said,_ she texted Bogden and Anadil. _I understand now. The plan is back on._

* * *

She wasn’t even listening.

“Sophie?”

“Hmm?”

“I _said_ , how many Candy Cane Grams did you send?”

Her emerald eyes never wavered from her phone. “I don’t send them, I just get them, darling.”

Nic craned her neck to see Hester’s Instagram profile pulled up. Sophie was clicking back and forth between her own account and her queen bee’s. It was pretty obvious what she was honing in on.

586 followers versus 992 followers.

“You okay?”

Her head snapped up. “ _What_ , Nicola?”

“Are you _okay?_ The nominations for the No Ball’s Evil Queen are coming out soon.”

And _now_ she saw a crack in the blonde’s façade. Sophie bit her lip and looked down, examining the difference between the numbers.

“...I’m fine.”

She put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay. I know you’ll be nominated.”

The girl snorted. “Sure.”

And with that, Bogden burst into the classroom, a box of candy at his side. “Candy Cane Grams, everyone!”

Every student in their class perked up. Even Sophie looked up from her phone expectantly.

“One for Kei of Foxwood.” A tan boy with almond-shaped eyes raised his hand, and Bogden gave him a candy cane with a little handwritten message attached.

“And one for Nicola of Woods Beyond.”

Nic didn’t bother reading the note she received. She knew what it said; she had written it beforehand.

Sophie held out her hand expectantly, waiting for a candy cane to be dropped into it.

Nothing happened.

She looked up, confused, at Bogden, who was busy congratulating Rhian (who had somehow gotten four of them). When she tried to reach her hand into the basket, he looked back and snatched it away.

“I didn’t get one?” she said, as if she couldn’t believe it.

He narrowed his eyes. “If you had, I would have _given_ one to you.” The door closed behind him.

Nicola guessed him lashing out at Sophie was his small way at getting back at her, all those years after she joined the Coven.

And now she was looking over at Nic’s candy cane, biting her lip nervously.

“...Who sent that?”

“Uh, no one. Just Hester.”

“ _Hester_?” The blonde squawked, snatching it out of her hands and examining the note. If Sophie was trying to find signs of forgery, she wouldn’t- Anadil had cast a spell on the message to mimic the queen bee’s handwriting.

Her green eyes dimmed as she read it aloud. “Thanks for being such a great... best friend.”

Although the rest of their homeroom class was abuzz, reading their notes and chatting with their friends, Nic still felt an icy chill. Sophie’s expression soured, and she gripped the candy cane until it cracked and broke.

Finally she lifted her head, meeting Nicola’s eyes with an almost businesslike expression.

“Well. If you’re Hester’s _best friend_ now, you should be in charge of keeping all her secrets.”

 _This_ was what Anadil and Bogden wanted. Her secrets. And Sophie was just _giving_ them to her, with barely any prodding. Nic leaned in and grinned.

“For example- she bought you those Doc Martens just to make fun of you, ‘cause she knew you wouldn’t be able to walk in them.”

She opened her mouth to interject, but the blonde was barreling on, as if she was determined to rip the band-aid off. She started talking in a harsh whisper, her words getting so fast that Nicola had to lean in to decipher it.

“And she _says_ she doesn’t care about grades, but once I saw her taking _seven_ books out of the library for Henchman Training.”

 _These are barely even secrets. She’s just talking nonsense after bottling up everything for so long._ As the bell rang for first period, she took her hand and guided Sophie to the door, Anadil’s plan still at the front of her mind. _We have to find something we can use._

Out of nowhere, Sophie spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders, as if preparing herself to reveal her leader’s worst secret. Her green eyes had that same look about them from that day at Hester’s house- desperate, manic, _crazed_.

“-And she cheats on Hort. Did you know that? Because-“

“Wait, what?” Nicola stammered. “She-“

“She’s _cheating_ on him,” the blonde finished, nodding erratically. “Every Thursday, she _says_ she has Trial by Tale prep, but she’s really hooking up with Kei in the Doom Room.”

Nic’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, completely at a loss for words.

“And I never told _anyone_ , not even _Dot_ , because-“ now Sophie’s face crumpled. “because I am _such_ a good _friend_.”

 _...Bingo_.

* * *

_ You sent one message to  _ **_Hort_ ** _ : _

 

\-  _ Hey, I need to talk to you. Can you call me when you get this text? ...It’s about Hester. _

* * *

“Don’t comment on her temper.  _ Don’t _ bring up her weight gain. And please,” Dot panted as she and Nic rushed up the stairs. “Do  _ not _ . Mention. Hort.”

A loud screech came from down the hallway- in Hester’s room.

Nicola bit her lip. “How is she?”

“Bad.  _ Really _ bad.”

“Which one?”

“Both of them.” Dot looked over her shoulder at her, charging down the hallway like a knight into battle. “She’s overreacting over just about everything. And Sophie’s gone full manic.”

_ Because of me. _ Nic shook the thought off with a toss of her hair. “So what’s the plan?”

“Keep things light. Just this party, and then Monday, and then we’re all free of each other.”

The two girls paused at the door, steeling themselves for the next few days. After that it would be winter break, which Nicola had been looking forward to since she joined the Coven. A whole week without Hester lording over her, and no more secret mission for Bogden and Anadil. She could barely contain her excitement.

Dot knocked.

“Evelyn?”

“No, it’s us.”

“Sophie, get the door.”

Nic had to bite her tongue from gasping- or even worse,  _ laughing _ -when she saw the state of the room. Clothes had been tried on and then thrown around angrily. The blonde girl had dark purple circles under her eyes and her hair was tangled up in knots, looking at them as if they were her last hope. Hester stood in the middle of her bedroom in a pair of Spanx, her arms crossed, brows furrowed. She had gained a noticeable amount of weight by now. The girls averted their eyes.

“What are you looking at?”

Dot blanched. “Nothing! What are you wearing to Hort’s party?”

“Wait, what?” Nic looked back and forth between them. “You didn’t tell me  _ he _ was-“

Hester had stalked over to her closet, rummaging through the clothes still on the racks. “Not everything is about  _ you _ , Nicola. We’re going there for me.” She pulled a black dress out of the closet, examined it, decided it wouldn’t fit her, and tossed it on the floor. Sophie ran to pick it up and put it back on the hanger as her back was turned. “I’m winning him back tonight.”

Nic stifled a cry. It had only been two weeks since they had broken up. What made Hester think he would take her back?  _ And more importantly, _ she thought bitterly,  _ I’m  _ **_so_ ** _ close to getting him to ask me out. She can’t mess this up for me. _

Another dress was chucked across the room and landed on her vanity. “Damn it, I don’t have anything that’ll work.”

Dot wrung her hands. “What about the plaid pants and a leather jacket?”

“I don’t fit into those anymore.”

“What about something simple? Like a jean jacket and a flower print dress.”

Hester gritted her teeth as she dug through the pile of her clothes on the floor. “And look like a basic-bitch Evergirl?  _ No thanks.” _

“But… that’s what  _ I _ usually wear.” Dot pulled on the sleeve of her dress nervously. “I don’t look like that.”

The other girl laughed. “Oh, you do. Just no one says anything.”

A tense, stifling silence filled the room. Sophie and Nicola caught each other’s gaze. For a second, their eyes flitted over to Dot.

Instead of falling apart like they had expected, it looked like she was about to scream at Hester. Her jaw was set in a hard line, and hands balled up into fists. Her eyes narrowed.

_ Do it. Please. So I don’t have to, _ Nic prayed. She closed her eyes-

Sophie came clattering across the room in her heels, one hand reaching out to pat her friend on the shoulder. Her smile was stretched into one of pretend sympathy.

_ God...damn it. _

“Well,  _ I _ think you look  _ fetch,” _ she chirped.

Hester’s head shot up, her eyes blazing. The three girls could see the telltale red gleam of her fingerglow hidden in the pile of dirty laundry she was holding.

“Sophie,  _ STOP TRYING TO MAKE  _ ‘FETCH’  _ HAPPEN. IT IS  _ NOT _. GOING. TO HAPPEN,” _ she seethed. The red blaze that had appeared in her hand sparked with static, but she didn’t hurl it at the terrified blonde. She stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door.

No one said anything for what felt like ages. Nicola trained her eyes on the carpet, wondering what would happen next- or if the whole plan had just been for nothing.

After a beat, Dot cleared her throat. “I think I’m gonna go home.” She looked over at Sophie, who was frozen still, her mouth open in a tiny, shocked  _ o _ . “You’re coming with me.”

The blonde slowly nodded. She reached for her purse. Nic could see her hot pink fingerglow fading-  _ Had that been there the entire time? _ she wondered -as Sophie turned to grasp her friend’s hand.

The two girls looked at Nicola expectantly. “...Are you coming?”

She glanced at the bathroom door- still shut. “No, I’ll stay with her. I want to make sure she gets to the party safely.”

Dot raised an eyebrow. She seemed to be weighing whether or not Nic could handle herself. Sophie, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned at all- in fact, she was inching ever closer to the hallway.

“Don’t worry.”

The two finally turned and left, their hushed whispers echoing in the empty house. The bathroom door creaked open and Hester stuck her head out.

“Where’s-“

“Uh, they’re leaving.” Nicola shifted from one foot to the other anxiously. “Hey, I was thinking; why don’t you wear your Halloween costume to the party? It could remind Hort of when you got together.”

Her dark eyes gleamed. “That’s… actually a really good idea. And I think I can still fit into the skirt.” She darted back into the closet looking for the outfit.

“Sounds great. I’ll wait in the hall.” Nic quickly texted Anadil and Bogden.  _ I think it’s about to happen. Sneak in to Hort’s party tonight… be ready. _

After a few minutes, Hester emerged from her room, wearing the red flared skirt and top. She reached into her purse and put on a new layer of black lipstick.

“You ready?”

“Are you?”  
  



End file.
